Radiofrequency in vertebral fracture pain management

Bone pain remains one of the most common sources of chronic pain in the elderly population Over 30 % of women over the age of 65 are estimated to suffer from osteoporosis and are at risk for bone fractures. The spine is the most common site of osseous metastatic disease which may end to vertebral fracture. Vertebral augmentation has proven safe and effective in the treatment of primary and secondary vertebral malignant lesions, Efficacious pain relief was demonstrated in 84–92 % of cases Groenemeyer et al. and Schaefer et al. were among the first researchers to describe the combination of radiofrequency ablation and subsequent cement augmentation to achieve stability after tumor removal as a palliative treatment for metastatic spinal lesions, Despite a wide range of publications covering the use of radiofrequency ablation devices to treat spine metastasis with or without vertebral augmentation, most of the literature is comprised of retrospective studies demonstrating the feasibility and safety of the technique and reporting improvement of different pain scores before and after the procedure. The combined image-guided radiofrequency ablation and balloon kyphoplasty is a safe, technically feasible, surgical technique, well tolerated by patients, for the treatment of the pathological fractures of the spine.